BMW Auto Shop's Redevelopment OK, But County's Notification Apparently Not

Bart’s Motor Works on Main Street is set to undergo an extensive remodeling that ought to make the auto shop more pleasant to the eye from the roadway, but that doesn’t mean everyone in Reisterstown approves.

The garage, situated between the Harryman House and Java Mammas on Main Street in Reisterstown, is set to be demolished and replaced with a two-story, 5,000-square foot office building.

An area in the rear will remain an auto service station, according to a presentation given at a public meeting Monday night by David Karceski, a lawyer, and Robert Hanna, an engineering consultant, both of whom represented the garage’s owners.

There will also be space inside the office building that will store high-end, pre-owned vehicles, Karceski said. Up to six used cars will be parked in front of the building, Karceski said.

Demolition is slated to start in March, and the entire project is expected to be finished within eight months, Hanna said. 

The building, which most agreed would be more in tune with the character of Main Street than the current two-bay auto shop, was not the problem for the almost 30 people assembled at Monday’s meeting of the Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coordinating Council.

Instead, assembled residents said they were disappointed that garage owners did not do more to alert the community of their plans to remodel.

Owners complied with Baltimore County’s requirement of providing 15 days notice of a public hearing to discuss the redevelopment.

But plans were never brought before community organizations like ROG and the Reisterstown Improvement Association. Those in the community who did know about the hearing -- a sign was posted outside the auto shop, as required by the county -- did not attend.

Although questions about the redesign of the auto shop and the addition of the office building were plentiful, most present said they were pleased with the plans presented Monday, and few appeared to blame Bart’s owners for not seeking public comment more aggressively.

More passionate criticism was left for individuals in the community who did not attend the hearing, and for the county for not doing a better job of posting the hearing’s notice on its website.

“It’s unfortunate,” said George Harman, the ROG president. “I blame the county for not accurately describing the projects on its website.

"There is a tremendous communication problem with the county,” he added. “The county needs to address this in legislation.”

On the county website, there was a notice that owners of the auto shop were requesting a special variance in zoning to decrease the number of cars allowed to be parked on the property.

Meanwhile, questions remain about what type of landscaping the owners will include in their final plans, and some residents said they were concerned about what kind of noise heating and air conditioning units might create.